Pull Yourself Together
by maybewe'relost
Summary: George is devastated over Fred's death. He doesn't think anyone shares these feelings... until he sees Angelina again. Will she be able to bring back George?
1. Chapter 1

_I've been wanting to write a story for a while now, just an idea never popped into my head. I don't really have one now, but I've just decided to go for it. Review!_

_Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, not me, obviously._

_Fred and George._

_Fred __**and**__ George. _

_George. Just George._

"George! George, get up!" he heard his mother calling him. He heard her coming up the stairs, he was prepared for the speech. The lecture, but she knocked softly on the door, and when he didn't answer, she cracked it open. He heard her gasp a little at the sight. Clothes were all over George's floor, cardboard boxes, waiting-to-be-tested products… that never would be tested. He rolled over on his bed, not facing his mother. Again, he expected a lecture. None came, she only sighed and stepped her way over the rubbish on the floor, until she got to George's bed, sitting down on it. She patted George's leg and sighed again. "Mum, I'm not ready to get up…"

"George, dear… I think it's unhealthy for you to… stay in here all the time. You… you need to get out! Remember…? Your shop? Fred wouldn't want you to be like this –" He shut his eyes, trying to block out his mother's lecture. Of course he remembered his shop. Of _course_ he didn't think Fred would want this. She was surely taking Fred's death in stride. "Alright, George?" Molly Weasley finished, bringing George back to Earth. He mumbled a "yes" and rolled back over to face his mother. "Mum… I miss him…"

"Oh, dear… I know. I know you do. I miss him too," she said, laying her hand down on his leg, and he felt the cold against his warm leg. Her hands were cold. "But we can't wallow in our sadness forever… Fred is in a better place, we all know that. But… you can't act like you're the only one who misses him. I mean, look at Percy…" she seemed to be trying to choose her words carefully, as if she didn't want to upset George. "He… it was almost… _his_ fault… at least he thinks it is… and… well, Percy's got a girlfriend… he's laughing again…"

"Percy? Percy the Prefect? Got a girlfriend?" I asked, almost forgetting to be sad. "Well. Good job, old Percy. What's… what's she look like?" His mother smiled at this. "Percy's bringing her over for dinner. Which is _why_," she said, standing up, "you should get cleaned up and… straighten up this room, for goodness sakes." She smiled warmly at George and cautiously stepped over the debris, and stumbled out of George's room, closing the door shut.

He shut his eyes, pressing the balls of his hands into his eyes, rubbing them. He dropped his hands, sighing. Every time he shut his eyes he saw Fred. Fred, who would never come into the kitchen again, Fred, who would never sit down at the dinner table and make it lively, Fred, who would never walk into the store with George, Fred, who would never test products –

_Come on, George. _He heard Fred, talking to him, but then remembered… Fred's dead. He's gone. It's only him. He was only talking to himself. _George, get your lazy bum off of this bed and go live a little!_ He jerked his head up. He was almost positive it was Fred this time. Maybe Fred was talking in his head? George shook himself, rolled off of his bed, and stood up, trying to ignore the mess. He stepped over everything, stumbling to the bathroom. He hadn't been out of his bed in days, he almost forgot what it was like to walk. _You're ridiculous, Georgie. _He heard in his head again. He walked to the bathroom, and stood in front of the mirror, and he didn't even look like George anymore. He looked like a homeless man. He saw a little bit of red stubble on his chin, and he passed his face over it, feeling it, as if checking to see if that was what it was. Fred would be ashamed. George peeked out of the bathroom and looked at his bedroom door, as if expecting Fred to pop in and make everything okay, but of course, it didn't happen. He turned back to the mirror, and somewhere, behind the stubble, and the bags under his eyes, and the shallow, hungry look in his face, there was a George somewhere, and there was also a Fred, oh yes. Fred was there too, and he always would be.

George shook his head, chuckling sadly. He bent down, turning on the water and splashing some into his face. He grabbed his shaving cream can and slapped some on his face, and, getting his razor, he shaved off the stubble. He rinsed his face again, looking in the mirror. His hair had gotten slightly longer, and he sighed, walking out of the bathroom, and stumbling to his dresser. He grabbed out a nice light purple, crisp, button-down shirt. He pulled off his pajama top and slipped the shirt over his head, buttoning it in record time. Fred would've made a joke about that. George shook his head again and he searched around in his drawer, finally, he found some pants and pulled them on too. He ruffled his hair with one hand, the other hand on the doorknob. Then ,taking a deep breath, he walked out of his room, and down the stairs.

When George got down to the kitchen, he saw his mother, leaning over the stove, flipping pieces of bacon, and he had half of a mind to scare her, like he and Fred used to do by Apparating every few feet. He smiled at the memory, and decided just to leave his mother alone. He tiptoed past her into the dining room, where Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. He jumped when he saw them, almost wanting to run back to his room. Instead, he stood there, grinning a little. Ginny jumped up, grinning widely, her red hair pulled back, and hugged George. "It's nice to see you, Georgie!" she said, letting go of him. George smiled a bit more, and nodded at Ron, Harry and Hermione. "I was going to ask you if you wanted me to open the shop today, but since you're awake now, you wanna open it together?" Ron asked, sitting quite close to Hermione.

"Uh… well, sure. I guess we'll open up the shop today, yeah." George nodded slowly.

"Good. We'll eat breakfast and then we'll let Mum know we're going…" said Ron, with slight authority. Then, Molly Weasley came into the dining room, carrying a plate full of bacon, and a bowl full of sausages. "Up and about, George?" and he nodded. How could they all be over Fred already? He noticed that Ginny had small bags under her eyes, and a slight tear-streaked face, so at least she hadn't forgotten about Fred. But, Harry and Ron looked completely fine. Hermione looked a little down, maybe… and without thinking, he ruffled his hair while everyone was sitting down and blurted out, "How can you all just… forget about Fred? Pretend he was never here? How can you… _go on_ with life? Without Fred? He was… he was our brother, and your son," he pointed at Molly, who gasped. "You… you've all just forgotten he was ever here –"

"George!" shouted Ron, noticing Molly's eyes fill with tears and Ginny looked taken aback. "None of us have forgotten Fred," he said, getting up and standing in front of George. "We've just accepted the fact that he's dead and he's in a better place, and we're not wallowing in our sadness, staying in bed all day like some GITS." he shouted again, his eyes wild.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE HALF OF YOURSELF, DO YOU RON?" George shouted back, feeling much like punching his little brother. "YOU WILL _NEVER_ KNOW. I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE WALLOWING!" and with that, George stormed out of the kitchen, walking out of his house, slamming the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Once George was outside, he jammed his hands in his pockets and stood a few feet away from the front door. He wasn't planning to run away, just think for a bit. He wished he'd never said those things to his family. He shut his eyes as the wind blew his ginger hair every-which-way, and he kept his eyes shut, thinking of Fred and all they'd done together, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, mate," it was Ron, and George tensed, Ron immediately taking his hand off. "Listen… no one back there blames you, or is mad at you." Ron said, cautiously.

"Oh? Did you take a vote, then?" George snapped. _George, this isn't you. Stop saying these things. Please…_ Ron flinched and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Er, well, we had already decided… I mean… we all love you, George, and we all loved Fred," and at the mention of Fred, George whipped his head to the clearing in the forest, where he knew his other half was buried. "We just want you to know, we don't blame you." Ron finished.

"I see." was all George said.

"Well, I think I'll just –"

"Are we still opening the shop today?" interrupted George, not looking at Ron.

"W-what?" stuttered Ron, half of his body turned back to the house.

"Are we still opening the shop today?" he repeated, looking at Ron this time.

"When… whenever you're ready… George…" Ron said, nodding. George smiled a bit as Ron walked back to the house and George stayed out, his hands in his pockets still. He knew he shouldn't, but he walked to the clearing where Fred was buried, and sat down in front of his headstone. George looked up, where small rays of sunshine were shining through the tree branches, and he sighed, looking back at the grave. "Fred… Fred, what do I do? I can't… I can't keep pretending to be happy when I'm not. You… you can't really be gone…" he sobbed, even though Fred had been gone almost three years.

When George walked back into the house, his face was tear-streaked. He had had a good cry while he was out there by Fred's grave, and had spent a good few minutes out there. The breakfast dished were cleared, everyone but Molly and Ron Apparated to Diagon Alley. Molly was in the sitting room, knitting while humming a popular song of Celestina Warbeck. George peeked at her from around the corner, but decided not to disturb her. _I'll only upset her…_ thought George, as he tiptoed to the kitchen and then Apparated to Ron's bedroom door. He sighed, and rapped his knuckles on the door, standing there for a good three minutes when a disheveled Ron opened the door, coming quickly out and shutting it behind him. He'd looked like he'd had a good snog. George smirked, scoffing. "Had a good snog with Hermione have you, Ron? Or is there someone else I should know about?" he said.

"Shut up, git," said Ron, glaring. "You ready or what?"

"Not until you smooth your hair. It's obvious you've been snogging." George crossed his arms stubbornly, earning another glare from Ron. George waited another five minutes before he heard the familiar _popping _sound coming from downstairs. Deciding it was Ron, George Apparated down there as well. Ron looked extremely irritated as they walked outside together, and Ron only just remembered to tell Molly where they were going before George Apparated to Diagon Alley, right in front of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Ron appearing beside him a few seconds later. George stood there gaping at the store. "You've taken good care of it, Ron." he said, grinning at Ron and patting him on the shoulder. When they walked inside, George flicked on the lights and watched outside as the "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" sign lit up with gold lights. He felt considerably happy after his little talk with Fred's grave, and immediately went behind the counter. Everything was in order; there was no need to organize.

Soon, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was full of customers again. Ron and George being the only employee's, it was going quite slow. There was a long line at the checkout counter when George came back from helping a plump witch with a crying little boy. He checked them out as fast as he could, and only when Ron appeared behind the counter did everyone leave satisfied. As it was almost the end of the day, George contemplated on closing the shop, but insisted it was only because Ron looked so tired to do anything else. "Ickle Ron, would you like to go home?" asked George in his mother's best voice impression. Ron only glared.

"You must be nuts, I'm staying here." George shrugged and stayed behind the counter, watching witch after witch and wizard after wizard pass by the shop window, until two witches that paused in front of the shop, finally deciding to come in. George only fully recognized them when they stopped to look at love potions. "Angelina? Alicia?" George sputtered, coming out from behind the counter. He hadn't seen them since… since… Fred's funeral. Instantly, he felt sad again. Why hadn't they come to see him when he was hurting most? He felt his brow furrow as Angelina turned and tackled him into a hug. "George! We've been coming by every day –"

"Mostly Angelina…" muttered Alicia, smiling.

"Oh shut up! Anyway, _I've_ been coming down every day to see if you were ever here, but it was always just Ron or no one at all. " she said, letting go of George, and he only gave half a smile. His good mood had been ruined, even if Angelina had been visiting every day. "You could've just come to the Burrow…" George muttered sadly, looking away.

"We… tried that too," said Alicia, wincing. "Your mum always said… you weren't in a state to be visiting with friends." George glared, instantly feeling angry. "Well, I'm _sorry _if me being upset over Fred was inconvenient for you." The girls looked taken aback and Angelina propped her hands on her hips.

"Fred's been dead for almost three years," she said with dignity. "I think you should've –"

"Should've what? Gotten over him?" asked George, getting angrier by the minute and knowing he shouldn't. "Well, I haven't –"

"I wasn't going to say that, George!" snapped Angelina, crossing her arms, glaring at George. Alicia seemed out of it, blushing and rubbing her arms nervously, and he could feel Ron's gaze coming from the stairs. He felt angry, sad, hurt, insulted, and at the moment, he didn't want anyone in his and Fred's shop. "We're closed," muttered George, looking down while Angelina just scoffed very enthusiastically.

"Of course you are." Angelina grabbed Alicia's hand and dragged her out of the store, leaving George feeling very sorry for himself and for the way he'd acted. "RON!" George suddenly shouted, making Ron jump. "We're leaving, the shop is closed." spat George, glaring so that his brow hurt.

George stomped out of the shop, with Ron close behind, and right after George locked the door, he Apparated to the Burrow, feeling complete rage. Ron was right behind him.

"Mate, I don't think you should've exploded on Angelina and Alicia just then…" Ron said, scratching the back of his neck. "They really did come every day…"

"I never said they didn't! But it's like they were blaming it on me!" and when Ron said nothing, George knew he agreed with them. He glared, stomping to the house and yanking open the door, meeting Molly in the kitchen. "Oh! George, Ron, you're home – what happened?" she asked, seeing the clouded look on George's face and the worried one on Ron's. "T-tough day?"

"Angelina and Alicia decided to pay a visit…" Ron said, smiling sadly and kissing his mother on the cheek. "Where's Hermione, Mum?" he asked, changing the subject.

Meanwhile, George was already in his room, curled up in his bed, sobbing and right back where he started.

**Sorry for the short chapters, but I am enjoying writing this, and it feels much longer than it really is. I hope you all are enjoying it too, and make sure to review! I'll be updating later/tomorrow. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

After the scene in the Weasley's shop, Alicia had Apparated home, because she claimed that Oliver would be wanting dinner soon – though Angelina knew the real reason. It was because Alicia knew Angelina would want to go to the Burrow and tell George off, and Alicia didn't want to be stuck in the middle. Though, Angelina didn't mind – she'd rather tell George off on her own, anyway. At quarter to six, she slipped on a dark red t-shirt, shorts and then she pulled on a button-down cardigan. Then, she Apparated to the Burrow. She sighed, smiling a little at the hominess the Burrow provided. She'd only been there once or twice, and the sight had never changed. She loved it. The slight spring breeze blew the leaves off the ground, twirling them, as if in a tornado, before being blown away into the wind.

As Angelina walked the few feet to the front door, she straightened her shirt and cleared her throat before she hammered on the door. Ginny Weasley answered the door, her face flushed and her breathing heavy as if she'd been laughing quite hard before Angelina knocked. Ginny's face, however, slowly formed a frown as she saw Angelina standing there, smiling. "Er, hello, Angelina…" said Ginny slowly, looking back to the kitchen as if asking for help from anyone who was passing through.

"Hi, Ginny! Uh, is this a bad time? I just needed to have a quick word with George." Angelina said, putting on her best smile. She had no idea what Ginny looked so irritated about, but she soon got her answer. Molly Weasley appeared in the doorway behind Ginny, patting her on the shoulder as if telling her to go back to the kitchen. Ginny obeyed, turning around without looking at Angelina and scurrying back to the kitchen. "Hello. May I have a word with you, Angelina, dear?" asked Molly, smiling, though looking quite pale. Angelina only nodded. Molly stepped outside, causing Angelina to step back, and she closed the door behind her, rubbing her hands on her apron. "Angelina… I have an idea of why you're here… George isn't in a state to see anyone…"

"Mrs. Weasley, with all due respect, you say that every time. I saw him at the shop today, he seemed fine, a little put out, maybe, but otherwise –"

"George is far from fine, dear…" Molly whispered, getting a far-away look in her eyes as she turned her head. "I tried time and time again to coax him out of his bad mood, but it just won't work."

"All due respect, again, Mrs. Weasley, but he lost his brother –"

"AND I LOST A SON! YOU DON'T THINK I FEEL THE SAME WAY?" shrieked Molly, crumpling her apron in her hands, the wind blowing her hair into her eyes. "I feel exactly the same, and George –" at this, she pointed up at the house, at George's window, "- is only making it worse for himself! It's his choice for him to wake up depressed every day, and I don't think he should be payed any attention to!"

"Mrs. Weasley… if you'd only let me talk to him, I'm sure I can coax him to be George again. The George everyone knows and loves. Back to… well, normal."

"George will never go back to normal, Angelina. We've all accepted that. You should too." and with a last frown at Angelina, she turned and walked slowly back into the house, softly closing the door behind her. Angelina leaned her head against the door and sighed, shutting her eyes. "Come on George…" she whispered. Just then, she jerked her head up, laughed a little, and almost felt like jumping up and down. "Of course!" she shrieked. She would Apparate to George's room, no matter what Mrs. Weasley said. If Mrs. Weasley found out, she would surely get skinned. Angelina took a deep breath, cleared her throat, shut her eyes and Apparated into George's messy bedroom. She landed on a pile of rubbish in the middle of George's room with the familiar _popping_ noise. She looked around her, and noticed she was standing in front of George's bed, and there, in lying crumpled in a heap, was George. Beloved George. She stepped over the rubbish, and leaned down, prodding George on the shoulder. "Georgie… wake up…" she whispered in his ear, smiling as she remembered Fred. She'd loved Fred, so much. She shut her eyes, sighing, and prodding George again. "George," she said in a stern voice. "Get up. It's Angelina, I need to talk to you. As George stirred, opening his eyes and rubbing them a bit, she straightened up again, looking around the room. It smelled musty, and Angelina was beginning to feel claustrophobic. She turned, hands on her hips, back to George, who was wide awake, sitting with his legs off the side of the eyes were the widest you'd ever seen them and his mouth was gaping open, at a loss for words. "Hello, George, you git," said Angelina, sitting beside him on the bed, grinning.

"Ange… Angie… Angelina… I…"

"Pleased to see me, eh?" she asked, grinning ever more. "I came to talk some sense into you."

"Mum… Mum let you in?" asked George, surprised.

"No, no. She wouldn't let me in," Angelina leaned in closer to George and whispered, "I Apparated in after she told me no." and then she leaned out again. George sat there, expression unchanged.

"Angelina… I'm… I'm sorry for –"

"Yeah, I know you are. I know you're sorry and I am too. I only accept your apology if you let me talk to you." George sighed, but nodded slightly, a grim look on his face. "But make it quick, because Percy's girlfriend is probably downstairs… I want to meet her." said George, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Angelina cleared her throat.

"When Fred died," she began with dignity, "of course we were all sad… angry, wondering why it had to happen to Fred, the other half of George. My boyfriend." She reminded George, who looked as though he was remembering it. "Anyway, you're hurting people more. You're reminding them that Fred is gone, and you're not making it any better for yourself or them. Take Harry, for instance – "

"Harry doesn't care about Fred…" whispered George, smirking.

"George! Listen to yourself! Just because Harry doesn't curl up on the bed crying for who-knows-how-long doesn't mean he doesn't miss Fred! Same goes to Ron and Ginny. Of _course_ they miss Fred. They loved him, and imagine how Harry must feel. Voldemort went after _him_. We all decided to protect Harry, even though he was willing to go meet his death. He didn't mean for anyone to die – yet they did, and Harry think its his fault, because he listened to us and allowed us to protect him."

"But Harry knows I don't think its his fault!" muttered George, frowning.

"Maybe he doesn't, George. The way you've been acting lately, I'm sure everyone thought you blamed everyone else for Fred's death. Especially Harry," said Angelina, prodding George in the chest. "And the Lord knows that when Fred checks up on you, he certainly doesn't want you to be curled in bed, sobbing your eyes out. He wants you to _live_. He wants you to live for _you_, not for _him._" Angelina smirked a little, shaking her head. "No one hates you, George. You are loved. I know it." and Angelina leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the cheek, smiling afterwards, blushing and standing up. "Now, what do you say we go for a butterbeer at The Leaky Cauldron tomorrow afternoon? I've got a surprise for you. It's almost you and Fred's birthday, isn't it?" she asked, smiling and winking.

"It's… it's a date…" George muttered, still a little shocked to find that he thought Angelina was right.

"Good. I'll come for you tomorrow…" she said, and hugging George, she straightened up, pressing a finger to her lips. "And if anyone asks," she whispers before Disapparating, "I was never here."

And then she was gone. George leaned his head into his hands, groaning. "Angelina…" he whispered, shaking his head. A few minutes after Angelina had left, he had shed just a few tears, but now he was in front of his bedroom door. He was determined to meet Percy's girlfriend, no matter how hard it was to simply appear in front of everyone and look like a fool with his hair ruffled and dried tear streaks on his face. He took a breath and Apparated into the kitchen, where his mother was standing, hands on her hips. "George Weasley, how you ever became friends with that Angelina character is beyond me. Did you know she came here, demanding to see you?" Molly shook her head, accepting a kiss on the cheek from George. "Percy and Audrey and the rest are in the dining room," she muttered, barely noticing that George was finally out of bed. She decided not to mention it in case it upset him. George nodded and, hands in his pockets, he walked into the dining room, seeing everyone sitting at the table, laughing. He felt out of place, standing in the doorway, waiting for someone to notice him, so he walked to the table and took a seat next to Percy, who was engaged In conversation with Bill. "Bill, I still think that you should leave –" and just then, Percy noticed that Bill wasn't looking at him anymore, he was looking at George.

"George!" shouted Percy, getting up, pulling George off his chair and hugging him. "George, I'm glad you're here!" George laughed, noticing Percy looked extremely excited. His face was red and he kept glancing at the beautiful young lady called Audrey. "G-George, this is Audrey, my girlfriend. Audrey, this is my little brother George." Audrey gracefully stood up, grinning. "It is nice to meet you, I've heard loads about you, George," she said, shaking George's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Audrey…" he said, grinning. George noticed that Bill had gotten up from his chair and was beside George. Without thinking, George turned away from Audrey and Percy and tackled his eldest brother into a hug. "I missed you, Bill, you old prat." George said, sniffling and breathing heavily.

Then George sat down with the family.

He had to remember to thank Angelina later.

But he couldn't help thinking about Fred, and how he could be here too to meet Audrey. George couldn't help thinking that the worst wasn't over yet.

**Heh, don't worry, I'll be continuing this. Angelina and George haven't even gotten together yet. :P Hope you all like so far, and be sure to review! **


	4. Chapter 4

Before George had gotten to bed last night – which wasn't until at least 1:30 in the morning – he had stopped in front of his bathroom mirror. He stood there for at least fifteen minutes, staring at his reflection. Heavy bags were under his eyes, his cheeks were flushed from laughing so hard, and his lips were pale._ Merlin, George, you haven't laughed that much in two years!_ He could almost hear Fred saying.

"Oh Fred… you should've been here to meet Audrey…" George passed a hand over his face and continued to look in the mirror. He looked exactly like Fred would have – except for a little longer hair, and a sallower look from eating less than usual. And the ear. George's ear was gone too. Fred has – had – his ear. The only difference in looks between the two…

"Alright, Georgie, let's go on to bed." he said to himself, exiting the bathroom and diving onto his bed, throwing the blankets loosely over himself. He could hear the faint snores of Bill in the next room - Molly had insisted upon George keeping a room to himself in case he needed some alone time, and George hadn't minded. He'd rather have a room to himself. It would remind him too much of Fred.

In Diagon Alley, Angelina Johnson was readying herself for bed as well. She was wearing a light purple tank top with comfy white pants, and she was staring into the mirror, much like George had been. "Angelina… after you go to The Leaky Cauldron with George, that's it. Just because he looks like the love of your life doesn't mean you need to fall in love with him. He doesn't have anything like that in mind anyway." She muttered to herself, sighing. She imagined she did have a bit of a crush on George, but it was nothing serious. She reckoned it was only because he reminded her of Fred. _But George is different in so many ways! All in all, he's __**nothing**__ like Fred! Angelina, you love him!_ She kept thinking to herself, over and over, even as she exited her bathroom and layed her head down on her pillow.

_Yes. _she thought, closing her eyes, _I do love George… but he doesn't love me._ And she slowly fell asleep.

When George woke up the next morning, he felt strangely happy. He felt like opening up Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes that morning, but when he suggested it to Ron at the breakfast table – he seemed to have something else in mind. "George, I was thinking we should put up an ad that we're looking for employees, otherwise you and me? We'll work ourselves to death." he said, spreading butter on his toast, eyeing Hermione.

"Well, how many employees do we reckon we need?"

"I'd say, if business keeps going anything like it did yesterday, about three… maybe four."

"And I'm _sure_ there are just four lucky people out there who are _dying_ for a job at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, eh, Ron?" said George, rolling his eyes and grabbing a piece of bacon off the platter on the table. Percy, Audrey, Bill and Harry were already out – the only ones sitting at the table were Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Molly Weasley, George, and a very tired looking Arthur Weasley. "You know George, I bet there are." said Arthur, winking at Ron.

"Oh, Merlin, I've only just forgotten. I need to meet Angelina at The Leaky Cauldron… we can just set up the ads and then I need to run over there." muttered George, blushing a bit. He had to admit – Angelina had grown prettier over the years, and he thought, maybe for the first time in his life, he loved a girl. He was brought out of his thoughts by Molly's disapproving voice and his father's encouraging one. "Molly, dear, I'm sure it's not a date. Angelina is just George's friend, isn't she, George?" asked Arthur, looking at George expectantly.

"Uh, yeah sure… just a friend, don't worry about it Mum." He glared at Ron as Ron started to snicker and roll his eyes. Molly shook her head, obviously not convinced at all.

Once the breakfast dishes had been cleared, Ron and George readied themselves for Diagon Alley. George had put on his green dragon skin vest from when business had first started booming with Fred. It wasn't until George had saw the tiny engraved "f" on the vest pocket did he realize he was indeed wearing Fred's vest. George didn't mind – and he was almost positive Fred wouldn't either. When he Apparated downstairs, Ron was there, whispering to Hermione and making very suggestive facial expressions towards her. They didn't realize that George was there until he awkwardly cleared his throat – and that wasn't until Ron and Hermione started to snog violently. Ron whipped his head around, obviously angry. "GEORGE! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING DOWN HERE?" George couldn't help but laugh.

"Little brother, I thought we were going to Diagon Alley. I'm sure Hermione is delighted that she can get away from you, aren't you Hermione?" George asked, looking at a very nervous, very embarrassed looking Hermione.

"Uh… Ron, I'm gonna… go help Ginny in the kitchen. Have a nice time in Diagon Alley, 'bye, love you!" she kisses Ron lightly on the cheek and scurries off to the kitchen, very red in the face. "Well Ron, second time I've walked in on you snogging Hermione. You must really love her, eh?" he said, more seriously, thinking of Angelina. "Ron? What's it like to really love someone?" he asked as they walked out to the front yard of the Burrow.

"You okay, George? You need some water?" Ron looked at George as if he was crazy and scoffed.

"What? I can't ask my brother for advice?" Ignoring that statement, Ron looked ahead as they stopped walking, preparing to Apparate.

"It's not all pure bliss. If you're in love, then you've only got to look at that girl and know, that no matter how many times you see another, very beautiful girl, you will always love her more. Is there something that I'm missing, mate?"

"No!" said George quickly, Apparating inside of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, leaving Ron looking very confused. A few seconds later, Ron was beside George in the shop, and they were both extremely surprised to see Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet (more recently, Wood) and Angelina Johnson. They all appeared to be helping customers, checking out customers or arranging things neatly on a shelf. Not one of them noticed Ron and George until George stepped behind the counter, nudging Alicia in the shoulder. She jumped about two feet in the air and shrieked, shocking the customers who gave disapproving looks. "George! George… Ron, what are you guys doing here?"

"What, I'm not allowed in my own shop?" George asked, chuckling. Alicia flinched, as if George was going to explode and yell at her again.

"No… it's just… we weren't expecting you." Alicia flinched again, turning back to the customers. What was wrong with her? It's like she was expecting that George would stay curled up in bed all day, grieving over Fred, and he had to admit, that sounded pretty good right now. George decided not to answer and instead he smirked and stumbled past the customers to Lee Jordan, who was arranging the shelves. "Lee! What are you doing here?"

"Hullo, George! Got Angelina's message that we should help you and Ron with the store. She reckoned you probably were overwhelmed." said Lee, pausing in his work to clap George on the back. George was grinning so much his jaws hurt. Lee Jordan! Here! In Diagon Alley! He hadn't seen Lee since Fred's funeral. "It's good to see you, mate." said George, making his way over to Angelina. He waited patiently until she was done talking pleasantly to a customer and then he prodded her on the shoulder. "Angelina Johnson! What in the name of Merlin's holy pants are you doing here? I thought we were meeting in The Leaky Cauldron!"

"Don't worry, we still are." said Angelina, hugging George and giggling. "But we decided to come a little early."

"So you mean, my surprise was bringing all of my friend's here?" he asked, grinning ever more. Angelina was the best.

"Well… yes." she said, blushing crimson. "I thought you could use some friends to hang out with. Especially Lee Jordan, I knew how much you two missed each other."

George felt so happy he could burst. He had a strange feeling that he wanted to kiss Angelina full on the mouth. He was surprised at himself.

After they closed the shop for the day – which was a little early this time because they wanted to talk for a while at The Leaky Cauldron – they all waved at each other and Apparated to The Leaky Cauldron, except for Ron, as he wanted to get back to the Burrow and spend some time with Hermione. As soon as George appeared in the doorway, things started to go wrong. Tom, the bartender, scurried over to George and put a old hand on his shoulder. "George, m'boy," he muttered looking at George with possibly the saddest look he'd ever seen. "I'm sorry about… Fred…" George blinked a few times, clenching his fists. "I…" he could only say, before he felt Angelina's hand on his arm and he felt himself being led away. Everything else was in a blur. He couldn't see anything, the tears were so thick. He heard Angelina whisper in his ear, "He's drunk, George, just don't pay any attention to him."

Then they were sitting down at a round table with Alicia and Lee, but right at this moment, he only felt like punching Tom the bartender square across the mouth. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so insensitive? George didn't realize his fists were clenched so hard his hands were turning red until Angelina gently put a hand on his. "George… what do you want to drink? Butterbeer? The rest of us ordered it…" she said softly, smiling.

"Firewhisky." he told the scared looking waitress. The others gasped.

"George, maybe you should get –"

"I SAID – firewhiskey…" said George, watching the waitress scurry away.

The table was silent after that. Angelina looked pretty angry as the waitress hurried back to the table, setting down three butterbeers and one firewhiskey. Instantly, George grabbed his mug and took a big gulp, feeling the drink sting his throat. He felt that this whole trip was wasted, and Angelina made an attempt to talk, as the rest of the group looked at her, half scared, half curious as to what she had to say.

"George… the rest of us were thinking that we'd all like to stay at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. You know, become full time employees." George pondered silently over the statement, taking another sip of his red hot firewhiskey. He certainly had enough Galleons to pay them all, and he had to admit, it did sound like a good idea.

"That would be fine." he muttered, making Angelina smile brightly, and Lee even smiled. "There's a good mate, Georgie." said Lee, clapping him on the back again. Once George finished his firewhiskey, he knew it wouldn't be wise to have another, and he didn't feel much socializing anymore either, so he got the waitress to give him a bottle to-go, nodded curtly at the group and walked out of the pub. As he was about to Apparate, Angelina grabbed is arm and was taken with him to the hill that overlooked the lake. George knew it was Angelina he had Apparated with. He wasn't angry, merely sad.

"What are you doing, George?" she demanded, letting go of George's arm, glaring at him. He opened the bottle of firewhiskey and took a swig.

"I'm looking at the nice view, while enjoying a bottle of firewhiskey without the company of people – oh wait –" he said, looking at Angelina. "Scratch that, I guess." She clenched her fists and swayed from side to side, glaring at him.

"How long, George? How long are you going to keep this up, before you realize this won't fix anything. Ending your life won't help –"

"WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ENDING MY LIFE?" he shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration before murmuring, "If I was going to do it I would've done it a long time ago…"

"George Weasley, you have friends and family that love you! Do you think they wanna see you this way? Depressed? Drinking firewhiskey if someone even mutters the name –"

"Don't say it…"

"_FRED_!" she shouted, stepping closer to him, her finger in front of her face, pointing at him. "FRED, FRED, FRED! LET THE WHOLE WORLD HEAR!" she said, still stepping threateningly closer. "Don't stay on the fact that he died, George. Stay on the fact that he lived, and he had a good life, and he's having a good time with all four mauraders." She said, smiling a little. "Don't live for his death… live for you." George stood there, looking at her, before the feeling overcame him. He stepped towards Angelina until they were inches apart, cupped her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her full on the mouth, like he'd always wanted to. Every memory that he ever saw passed through his mind. Angelina with Fred, Angelina dancing with Fred, Angelina kissing Fred, Angelina holding hands with Fred, and then he started to see himself, taking the place of Fred. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty, but then he ignored the feeling and continued to kiss Angelina, the love of his life. He felt her running her hands through his hair and he smiled.

This was love.

**Yay! This one is longer. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was working on this chapter... review! I'm pretty proud of it myself. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Angelina was the first to pull away. Her cheeks were slightly pink and she was positively beaming. "George… I love you. I always have… it just wasn't the same with Fred. He was too much of a jokester. He never took me seriously. I love you." Angelina said, gripping his hands and looking down at the ground. George was speechless. Like Angelina, his cheeks were flushed and he was happy. He could almost jump up and down – Angelina had been his first love. But he couldn't help but feel this guilty feeling that he was going behind Fred's back… but Fred was gone.

"Angelina, you know I love you too, but Fred –"

"I know you're going to feel guilty – I do too, but Fred is happy for you. You know he is." Angelina looked up, staring into George's eyes.

"No. I don't like this." George suddenly backed away from Angelina, a scared look on his face. He no longer felt happy, his cheeks were no longer pink, they were pale. He felt like the spirit of Fred was tormenting him, even though he knew Fred would never do that. Or would he?

"George…" Angelina almost looked tired, but before she could say anymore, George shook his head quickly and Apparated. He didn't know where he was going to go, but the first thing that popped into his head was The Burrow. He stumbled into the front yard, tripped and fell to his hands and knees. Tears were pouring out of his puffy eyes. He crawled to Fred's grave, sitting up and crossing his legs. He sat there, staring at the headstone, and he sniffled a little. He shut his eyes as tight as he could and he could see himself kissing Angelina. He could taste the Butterbeer on her lips and she had smiled. George grinned, but shook himself, opening his eyes. "Fred! Just talk to me! I don't know what to do! I… I love her…" As George knew, there was no answer.

He remembered shutting his eyes again, feeling quite tired.

He had been sitting there, eyes closed, for at least twenty minutes, before he heard the familiar _pop_ of one who had Apparated. He jerked his head up, and his eyes snapped open. He was expecting Angelina, but no. He rubbed his eyes, blinking subconsciously.

Fred was standing there. George scrambled up, stumbling backwards a few feet. He shook his head, but Fred remained standing there, looking as healthy as ever. It was as if the whole battle and Fred's death and even Angelina's kiss was all a dream and all that mattered was that Fred was standing there, before George, grinning mischievously, like he had a great invention in mind for the shop. "Fred…" George muttered, too surprised to move even a bit.

"Hello George! I heard you talking to me…"

"You… you heard me? But… how…"

"You're dreaming, dear brother. I'm sorry to say that this is not real… I am dead – nothing's changed, nothing except – I heard you talking to me, and I told everyone it was an excuse to come down and see you again."

"This isn't real… I just… you heard me? You know what I said to you?"

"Aye, mate. I always knew you loved Angelina! I guess the only reason I asked her out was to… I guess… well, to finally have something you didn't, that sort of made me happy. I never loved her – I'm sorry to admit. I'm sorry, George, I should've told you sooner…" By now, tears were freely running down George's cheeks. He took a step closer, and every time he did, Fred looked less real to him. He looked more like he was apart of a dream, so George stopped walking towards him, as much as he wanted to grab George and tackle him into a hug, like always.

"Fred… I do love Angelina… I just feel something gnawing at my insides when I kiss her… when I'm around her… when I think about her… I feel… guilty."

"Don't. You have no reason to. I never loved her. I really never did. She was like a sister, almost. Listen, George," said Fred, grinning. "It's time for me to go. I know you'll love Angelina more than I ever would have – I know you will."

"But," said George, stepping forwards again, tears running down his cheeks, his voice stuffy. "will I see you again?" Fred looked genuinely sad to answer this question, and he smiled sadly. "Only in death…"

"You're leaving? You're not coming back?" George took a step closer, and only then did Fred begin to disappear. "FRED! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME, PLEASE, FRED!" shouted George, falling to his knees.

"I love you, George. Remember that – don't forget. I'll see you someday soon, dear brother."

And then he was gone – and George woke to Angelina standing silently over him. George had fallen asleep in front of Fred's grave. "Angelina…" he said, scrambling to his feet. "I saw Fred, I saw him. He… he told me to love you. He told me not to feel guilty… I do love you, I do."

He hugged Angelina, met his lips with hers and lifted her off of her feet, "Angelina Johnson… I love you." he muttered, and he continued to kiss the love of his life.

**This will be the last chapter of this - I hope you all enjoyed it, I know I did. Next I'll be doing a Rose/Scorpius, Draco/Hermione, Fred/My OC and plenty others! :) and sorry its so short. :P  
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